Video: White Hen Pantry tests convenient concept

A new store concept from White Hen Pantry and the prototype, dubbed Pantry Gourmet, opened its doors on Wednesday to a steady stream of curious customers.

Greg Turner

Near the front of the store, customers can order a fresh cup of cappuccino from a server, move along the counter for a made-to-order deli sandwich and hot soup ladled out a slow-cooker, then sit at a bistro table for lunch.

Past a fresh fruit and vegetable stand and a cooler full of natural beef, free-range chicken and specialty cheeses, the general grocery shelves are stocked with products bearing the words "natural,'' "organic'' and "soy.''

A typical newspaper stand sits near the door and a cash machine stands by a window, but there's neither a cigarette rack in sight nor a lottery ticket to be scratched in the place.

Can this really be a convenience store?

Close. It's a new store concept from White Hen Pantry and the prototype, dubbed Pantry Gourmet, opened its doors on Wednesday to a steady stream of curious customers. The shop is one of the anchors in the new Post Road Marketplace at 318 Main St. (Rte. 20) in Northborough.

The 3,200-square-foot store offers some elements of traditional convenience stores but goes upscale with a full-service cafe and deli, fresh foods, baked goods and a wide assortment of healthier snack foods.

"It's for people who are used to shopping at Whole Foods Market,'' said Chris Brosco, the company's director of marketing and merchandising. "It's kind of Starbuck-y in the front and Panera in the middle. We're trying to combine all the aspects of those good companies in one store.''

White Hen Pantry has been developing the concept for nearly two years. Executives sought ideas during a trip to New York City and its many small specialty shops and neighborhood markets such as Dean & DeLuca, Gourmet Garage, Garden of Eden and Pax Wholesome Foods.

One particular merchandise category borrowed from the Big Apple is a small housewares section with dish towels, kitchen utensils and plastic storage containers.

"They're little stores (in New York City) but they have to be all things to all people,'' Brosco said. "I call it the Linens 'n Things department.''

Coffee has a strong presence in the new store. White Hen Pantrys sell their own brand of coffee, but for Pantry Gourmet, the company brought in the Chock full o' Nuts brand for its cafe section. Across the store is an organic whole-bean coffee dispensing display from Hogan Brothers of Framingham.

There's little evidence that White Hen Pantry is behind the concept. Some wrapped sandwiches bore White Hen Pantry price tags but other than that the only connection is the tiny "@ White Hen'' line on the store's logo, a mere footnote to the prominent Pantry Gourmet brand.

"We just tried to not have the (White Hen Pantry) concept carry over. It's a clean slate, let the cards fall where they may,'' Brosco said, noting that company research indicated the White Hen brand had to take a back seat.

Brosco was pleased with the first day's business, which was helped by a marketing mailing a few weeks ago to 8,300 homes in a three-mile radius. The Northborough space was originally intended for a regular White Hen Pantry but switched to the concept store because of the demographics of the market.

The company has secured a lease for a second concept store in Plainville, set to open this summer, that will carry beer and wine. It is close to lining up a third location in Medway that would open late this year or early next year.

To further separate the concept from a traditional convenience store, Pantry Gourmet does not carry lottery and sells only a very small selection of tobacco products. The cigarette rack is hidden from the customers' view behind the counter and there isn't even a price list for cigarettes. What gives away the presence of tobacco are the state-mandated "we card'' placards by the cash register and front door.

"If we put tobacco and lottery out front, it would almost eradicate the impression we are trying to make,'' Brosco said.

Convenience store giant 7-Eleven Inc. took over the White Hen Pantry brand in 2006 but the 56 stores in this region are managed by Norwood-based New England Pantry Inc. under a regional master franchisor license agreement. The first White Hen Pantry opened in 1969.

The customer base of convenience stores is mostly male and in the 25-to-44 age range, Brosco said, while the White Hen Pantry has historically skewed female and older, ages 35 to 54. The deli counter has always been a staple of the chain and it put in tables and chairs long ago.

"The food's very good,'' said Tracy Kaufman of Grafton, who ate a lunch of sandwiches at the store yesterday afternoon with Debby Van Nostrand of Northborough. "But we were kind of expecting less groceries and more tables.''

Mehgan Belanger, associate editor at Convenience Store News, a publication that tracks the industry, said more chains are adding natural foods and upscale features to their outlets.

"You're always going to find the convenience stores with the candy and salty snacks, but some are bringing in healthier foods,'' she said. "It might be a small area of the store, but they're definitely thinking about it and bringing it in.''

Belanger indicated White Hen Pantry might be a bit ahead of the curve with a full-scale concept store.

"It is an emerging trend in the convenience store industry to offer a full-service coffee bar. It is quite rare because it's very labor intensive,'' she said. "I think that a store that incorporates all these different aspects - the full-service coffee bar, food service, bakery, things like this - it's unique. You don't see that many places at all.''

Competition could be on the way, and not just from other convenience store chains. Whole Foods Market is experimenting with a smaller, "express'' version of its supermarket that is heavy on "grab-and-go'' offerings.

Brosco said White Hen Pantry will be tweaking things at Pantry Gourmet going forward, based in part on customer feedback.